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AirAsia enhances connectivity to China: adds Kunming as new destination

4x weekly flights available for booking from 23 – 27 Oct with all-in-fares from RM88 one way

Kuala Lumpur, 22 October 2012

AirAsia is expanding further into China with the introduction of its latest direct flights from Kuala Lumpur – Kunming, which will be available for booking from tomorrow, 23 October until 27 October; complimenting its existing 23 routes to China as a Group.

The new route was launched by AirAsia Berhad’s Chief Executive Officer, Aireen Omar and its Commercial Director, Jasmine Lee at a press conference held today in Kuala Lumpur, announcing a promotional all-in-fare from as low as RM88 one way.

AirAsia’s 24th route into China will begin operations on 10th December 2012 with four (4) flights available weekly on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. This new route will also be operated on AirAsia’s Airbus A320 with a capacity of 180 seats.

Aireen Omar, Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Berhad says, “The addition of the Kuala Lumpur – Kunming route enables us to further strengthen our route network into China as we now have a total of 24 routes from Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kota Kinabalu, Bangkok, Phuket, Chiang Mai and Clark operating flights into 13 cities in China, including Kunming. According to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), AirAsia is the largest foreign airline by capacity into China at the moment, and we will continue to work hard to maintain this.”

The promotional fare from RM88 one way is available online at www.airasia.com and the travel period would be from 10th December 2012 – 30th September 2013. Guests are also able to book their flights via AirAsia’s new and improved mobile apps as well which are available for download at Apple’s App Store for iPhone and iPad, Google’s Play Store for Android phones, or at mobile.airasia.com for WAP enabled phones.

Kathleen Tan, Group Head of Commercial, AirAsia comments, “AirAsia is very positive about our growth in China, and the addition of this new route from Kuala Lumpur - Kunming further strengthens the point. As the capital city of Yunnan, Kunming plays an important part in the development of that area and AirAsia is proud to be the more affordable bridge that connects the business community between Kunming and Malaysia. Kunming’s abundance of natural resources doesn’t only transform into great business opportunities, but also a great tourist attraction. Stunning views and a treasure trove of culture await travelers to Kunming, so we do hope that this will be another destination that our guests will explore and enjoy.”

The AirAsia Group has announced three other new routes recently from Bangkok to Wuhan and Xian (operated by Thai AirAsia), as well as from Kuala Lumpur to Nanning. These new routes have been receiving overwhelming response and AirAsia will be offering more promotional flights for the Kuala Lumpur – Nanning route with all-in-fares from as low as RM99 one way. Guests can book their flights to Nanning from 23 Oct – 27 Oct 2012 and travel from 11 Dec 2012 until 30 Sept 2013, and the fares are available online at www.airasia.com.

Apart from Nanning, other cities in China are on sale as well with starting all-in-fares from RM199 one way. Fly from Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Macau and Shenzhen with these low fares, and from Bangkok to Guangzhou, Macau, Shenzhen, Wuhan and Xian too under this promotion which guests are able to book immediately until 28 October at AirAsia’s website. Guests can travel from 5 November 2012 – 31 January 2013. Low fares for AirAsia X destinations such as Beijing and Hangzhou are also available from RM349 one way throughout this promotion period.

Kunming has an average temperature of 15degrees Celcius throughout the year, making it one of the most comfortable destinations to visit, with snowfall during occasional winter. One of the most notable attractions in Kunming would be the Stone Forest or ‘Shilin’ where a set of limestone formation resembles stalagmites creating the illusion of a forest made of stone. Two parts of the Stone Forest site, Naigu Stone Forest and Suogeyi Village have been listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is classified as AAAAA-class tourist site in China.

Photography and nature enthusiasts will find Dongchuan Red Land a must-visit, as it is deemed as one of the most magnificent Redlands. The Yunnan highland plateau is covered with massive redland resulting in it being praised as a palette on earth. Another interesting visit would be Kunming’s Horticultural Expo Garden which showcases the theme of ‘Man and Nature, marching into the 21st Century’. Nature lovers would also love the Dian Lake, which has been given the nickname ‘Sparkling Pearl Embedded in a Highland’.

The Lijiang Ancient Town and Dali Old Town are two places that will definitely attract history buffs. Lijiang Ancient town has a history of over 800 years which dates back to the Song Dynasty and Dali Old Town has unique architecture and the different cultures of China’s minority tribes who live there. Also experience Tibetan heritage and view the gorgeous countryside in near isolation when you visit the area of Shangri-La, which is also known as Zhongdian. Shangri-La got its name from the author James Hilton’s novel ‘The Lost Horizon’, where the characters of his fiction novel lived for centuries in Shangri-La; as well as from the local Khampa Tibetans who claim that the word Shangri-La is derived from their word for paradise – ‘Shambala’.

Apart from the exciting sightseeing attractions, Kunming also offers a wide variety of local cuisine and shopping options. Kunming specialties such as the wax print, produced by minority tribes; Sani handbag, a specialty among the Sani ethnic group of Yunnan are available among other things. Great places to visit for shopping include the Luosiwan International Trade City at the Guangdu District, Jingxing Street Bird-Flower Market and Kunming Farmer’s Market.

Guests are encouraged to pre-book their check-in baggage allocation online along with their flight bookings as they are able to save up to 66% as compared to checking-in their bags over the airport counter.

Apart from that, guests are also able to pre-book their in-flight meals with a wide variety of hot meals available on board with an option to book up to two meals for each guest. Check-in baggage allocation, in-flight meals, Pick-A-Seat, travel insurance and more are all available online and guests are able to add or make changes to their booking very simply through ‘Manage My Booking’.